Baseball Game Preview: Shenandoah Raiders vs. Blackford Bruins

The Shenandoah Raiders will face off against the Blackford Bruins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Shenandoah's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Blackford has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.

Shenandoah came out on top against Randolph Southern on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive eight-run second inning. The Raiders blew past the Rebels 13-3. Considering the Raiders have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Kaden Randolph spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on two hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Collin Osenbaugh, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted over his last 11 matchups. Another player making a difference was Drew Fredenburg, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Shenandoah was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Randolph Southern only posted a batting average of .111.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Blackford's offense. They lost 9-0 to Alexandria-Monroe on Wednesday. Surprisingly, this marked the Bruins' sixth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.

Shenandoah has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for Blackford, they now have a losing record of 7-8.

Shenandoah was able to grind out a solid win over Blackford when the teams last played back in April of 2016, winning 7-4. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Bruins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.